Burst of Blue, Flare of Gold
by Hikari-san42
Summary: ...that was all anyone ever saw of him - no matter what form. Flash fiction collection, as is suited to the fastest thing alive. Latest: Sonic and Tails cut a deal after a nightmare filled night. /Bro fluff/
1. Chaos

_Burst of Blue, Flare of Gold_ – a Collection of Flash Fiction

**Notes: **I know I already have a drabble collection, but those are all over 1,000 words. I have a habit of writing things that are less than 750 and I didn't want to mix those with my longer works, so I decided to just make another story. Besides, flash fics are so much fun. You should try it. ;D

This particular passage is an interpretation on the opening on Sonic X. It's open ended because the rest of the show follows it and I felt it was a suitable opening chapter for this collection here. Enjoy.

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Chaos Control – an influx of energy so large and uncontainable that it causes a huge power spike, large enough to sweep people, objects, _planets_ up and transport them somewhere else. There are only a few who can control this phenomenon, and only because they understand the very basis of the Chaos Energies and have the capacity to give themselves over to it, to become one with the Energy for a small amount of time.

I, of course, am one of these few. And, I suppose, this is my story. Or rather, _our_ story.

Every story, from fable to novel, is about the _different_ person. The one individual who breaks the norm and changes the game, influences the conflict, overcomes the hardship, is interestingly different. They drive the plot, from the exposition to the resolution, with their strangeness. I am the different one, this time.

Of course, I've always been different. From the moment I was born, with the ability to become one with the wind and the Chaos Energy dancing on the tips of my fingers, I was special.

I forged my own way, made friends, fought off an egomaniac equipped with a battalion of robots, and saved the planet multiple times.

However, doing all of that never prepared me for what was to come.

A blast of bright light, incredibly intense and _searing_ that, for half of a second, I was sure that I was going to go blind. Of course, the fact that I could see _things_ in the light changed that thought in an instant.

But, we'll get back to that, I'm sure.

All that matters now is that, in that one instance, I lost everything that I held dear…

And it was replaced.

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_Standard disclaimers apply._

_Reviews are cherished. _


	2. The Pledge

_Burst of Blue, Flash of Gold_

The Pledge

This one's been hiding in my computer for who knows how long. I haven't even shown it to my best friend/beta so this should be a surprise to her, I suppose. (And I didn't update while you're in school, Yami-Doodles so you can't complain.) Enjoy~

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The first time Tails has a nightmare, Sonic stirs without any prompting. It is as if he can _sense_ the dream as it passes through his little brother's head, and his brain immediately alerts him that something is amiss. They are asleep in a seedy motel – the only place that accepted the minimal amount of money the hedgehog and fox had cobbled together – and the younger is curled into the tan stomach of his best friend, with his head resting on the crook of his arm and his tails splayed across Sonic's socked feet. The golden appendages are barely twitching, and a brief shudder trembles through the fox's body, causing Sonic's ears to flick.

When the four year old wakes, it is to the bright eyes of his hero. He blinks once, trying to mask the fear that had conjugated behind his irises, but Sonic has already seen the emotion and he wraps an arm around his friend's shoulder, pulling him closer to his chest.

"What was it?" Tails doesn't so much hear the words as feel them, and he sniffles, unaware of when exactly he started crying.

"I don't remember…" he answers, hiding his face in the hedgehog's chest, taking in a shuddering breath.

Sonic hums but doesn't vocally respond. However, the pulse of sound somehow conveys complete understanding to Tails and he relaxes a bit, feeling his eyes already drooping closed once again. "I got you bro'," Sonic says in a tone so low, Tails is unsure if he has heard it correctly. "Nothing'll happen to you."

Tails honestly did not remember the dream, but those words strike a chord in him, as if they are close. He recalls brief flashes of fright, of being abandoned on the side of the road, never to see his friend again… However, those are not the only images; there are also visions of Sonic's lifeless body, falling to the ground, his eyes wide open and staring – accusing even. Tails shudders again, taking in a thick, wet breath.

"I got you too," he answers after a time and he isn't surprised when Sonic jerks slightly. The stillness of night had settled in, and Tails' voice shatters right through it. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"Deal." Sonic's voice is thick with sleep and Tails looks up at his friend, smiling when he catches the hedgehog's eye. He nods once.

"Deal."

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_Word count: 399_

_Reviews are cherished._


	3. Flowers

_Burst of Blue, Flare of Gold_

Flowers

Based in Sonic X. This one started as a writing exercise proposed by my creative writing teacher. She challenged us to write about how a character may see an item, and how they could react to it. It grew from that into this. Enjoy~!

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Sonic loved the feel of the flower stem as he twirled it between his thumb and forefinger; the scent of the weeds - because that's all the wild ones were - always brought him back to his time at home, of Cream bringing him crowns, Tails laughing as Sonic tackled him into the grass and wrestled the screwdriver from his hands, of the sweet tang of dread when Amy presented him with a bunch of finely pruned roses - 'something to remember her by'. He never mentioned that roses wilted and died once they were cut, and she shouldn't parallel herself with the fragile flowers, instead grimacing, ignoring Tails' smirk, and accepting the gift to keep her from clocking him into next Thursday. The feel of the pollen under his nose always brought him back to Angel Island, where the flowering planets bloomed in cycles, upending their golden snow into the air and painting the whole Island a beautiful shade of yellow. At that moment, it was as if he could see the Chaos Energy concentrated there, the colors mirroring his Super transformation, and he could understand why Knuckles was so content in this place of solitude. The peace was company.

The flowers on this world were different than they were at home. At home, they danced in the wind, rippling as one to a melody only they could sense. Here, they were too small to do that, they simply moved in the wind, existing but not living. It was strange, really, how Sonic could compare the inhabitants of each planet to their plants. The humans on this world were so ground into routine – work, home, dinner, bed, breakfast, work, home – that even the smallest change was a huge ordeal. At home, whole Zones changed overnight, taking the familiar and turning it on its head. But, his people took it in stride. Their days were unpredictable, and they always made the best out of it. The humans… they were a depressing bunch. Everything was the enemy. It was Us vs. Them.

He could see his friends falling into the routine of the human world. Tails was sleeping through the night, waking with the sun, and working until sundown. Before, he would sleep at odd times, work for as long as he could, and take breaks to hang out with Sonic and go for runs. Now though, he didn't have time for a break. He had to work or else he wouldn't get the day's quota filled before it was bedtime. Bedtime? Since when did Tails have a bedtime? The only one with the power to give him one was Sonic himself, and he never would. They – the humans – thought him strange because of his habit to nap instead of sleep. Didn't they realize that you got more out of life if you didn't sleep for long periods? To waste the night – when the world transformed completely – was a sin in the hedgehog's mind. But, at the same time, he understood why they did it. It was the routine. The change from night to day was too different for them.

He just wished he could pull his friends out. This world was changing them. Even Knuckles was falling for it. Amy was making sounds about taking a trip, and, for some reason, he knew that this was her subconscious way of pulling herself out of this rut. She could feel it too; the normalcy was catching. Tails had been quick to agree to the idea of a trip, so all hope was not lost for him. He had been more aware of Sonic's presence, shifting when Sonic did, constantly adjusting so he was at Sonic's right side, watching his flank, as if he knew that he was doing something wrong in the eyes of his friend.

Sonic didn't know what to do to pull them out. The only thing he could do was get those flowers for Cream so she could make crowns. The little girl loved every surprise life threw at her, and her joy spread to others, reminding them that this wasn't their way of life. They were meant to do different things – not follow a path. He picked flowers often, to remind both himself and them of home – of those moments of wrestling in the grass with Tails, Amy and Cream giving him flowers, Knuckles challenging him to a fight – and that they were destined for greater things.

He could only hope they got the message.

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_Word count: 748_

_Reviews are cherished.  
_


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